Last week the Bandera Bulldogs traveled to Somerset in 7on7 league play, taking on Natalia and Southwest's varsity teams.
In the first game, Bandera looked strong on both sides of the ball. Senior Joe Rodriquez controlled the offense as quarterback, making quick work of Natalia's defense.
"We were really all connecting," said Rodriquez, "and we plan on our offense coming together like it did, at the Sonora tournament where it counts."
Seniors Landon Ventura and Alex Willoughby-Gonzales were the main targets for Rodriquez, both with the majority of yards for the Bulldogs.
On the other side of the ball, the Bulldogs played lock down defense on Natalia withholding them from scoring until right before the half. Junior Brayton Schmidt and senior Noah Nelson made crucial stops in Natalia's passing game knocking several passes for large gain.
After consecutive touchdowns for the Dogs, Natalia finally answered with a last second touchdown making the final score, twelve to forty-five with the Bulldogs on top.
Afterwards, the Bandera Bulldogs went up against the Southwest Dragons. In the first half, the Dogs could not connect on the offensive side of the ball with multiple dropped passes resulting in turnovers. Defensively, they lacked the cohesiveness they possessed in the first game, allowing the Southwest Dragons to forge an early lead. However, after a few rough drives for the Dogs, Rodriquez was finally able to connect with his teammates and get into the end zone, closing the gap on the Dragons.
After the half, the Bulldogs came out firing and scored a quick touchdown. Fueled by momentum, the defense was able to snag an interception in the end zone putting the ball back into the hands of the offense. In a close game, the Bulldogs played tough but came out a little short with a score of twenty-one to twenty-eight.
Last Saturday, Bandera traveled to Sonora to compete in a State Qualifying tournament. Results will appear in next week's issue.